BBQ MUSHROOM FLATBREAD WITH HOMEMADE SPELT DOUGH & CHIVE CREAM

Grilling pizza/flatbread is so fun and, for me, a little bit lower stress than using a pizza stone and peel in a raging hot oven. You get to be outside, you can make a bit of a mess, and most importantly, you get to let go of any expectations about the finished shape of the pizza/flatbread.

You’re just oiling up the dough, laying it on the grill, flipping it, topping it with stuff that’s already completely cooked, and then you get to sip a beverage and eat your messy little flatbread as the sun sets. Perfect!

I’m sharing my go-to spelt pizza dough recipe today! I post my epic vegan pizzas on Instagram a lot (and also on here hehe) and so many people ask me about my dough recipe. If I’m making dough, I’m usually going with this one, but I also sometimes buy pre-made dough from a local grocery store and stash it in my freezer. I’m not a pizza purist and sometimes I just want pizza as soon as possible *shrug*. The nutty flavour of spelt is great for a flatbread or pizza though, and the dough really couldn’t be easier to make.

For topping, we cook down a mountain of mixed mushrooms and mix them up with a homemade BBQ sauce to top this nicely charred (slightly smoky!) flatbread. Sharp slices of red onion and a mellow, sunflower-based chive cream drizzle brings it all together. I have a bunch of blossoms on my garden chives, so just had to break them up and sprinkle them on top here.

I love to top this with some baby arugula for a hit of freshness and that signature peppery flavor. I also can never resist essentially piling a salad on top of my flatbread/pizzas. Pile up a complete meal on a slice and free up your other hand to hold a glass of wine ;)

Hope you’re having a great start to the warmer season out there! Catch ya back here soon.

BBQ MUSHROOM FLATBREAD WITH HOMEMADE SPELT DOUGH & CHIVE CREAM

Print the recipe here!SERVES: 4-6NOTES: My go-to BBQ sauce is this date-based one, but any store bought one you like is also great!-I just use cremini mushrooms because the flavour of BBQ sauce can be overpowering in some cases, which renders a splurge on oyster/shiitake mushrooms possible pointless here.

Make the chive cream. In an upright high speed blender, combine the sunflower seeds, apple cider vinegar, chives, onion powder, salt, pepper, hot sauce (if using), and water. Blend the mixture on high until totally smooth, adding more water if necessary to get a pourable consistency. Check the chive cream for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Set aside.

Lightly flour a baking sheet (ideally a half sheet–about 18×13 inches). Flour a working surface on your counter. Place the dough on your working surface. Sprinkle it with flour and coat a rolling pin in flour as well. Roll out the dough into the shape of a rectangle, about 18-by-13 inches. Carefully transfer the dough to your floured baking sheet. Gently spread it to the corners and then cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise for 30 minutes.

Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and spread them out. Let them sit for a full minute. Season the mushrooms with pepper and stir. Let them sit for another full minute. Once the mushrooms are glistening, season them with salt and stir. The mushrooms will begin to seep out a lot of liquid. Keep stirring them here and there. Once most of the liquid has dissipated, add the BBQ sauce and stir to combine. Once the BBQ sauce has reduced by about a third, remove the mushrooms from the heat.

Preheat your grill to high. Brush the surface of your dough rectangle with oil. Carefully transfer it to the grill with the oil side facing down. It is VERY hard to do this perfectly, so just embrace the irregular shape and stretch it as much as you can before it sets. Wipe out the excess flour from the baking sheet.

Once the dough is down on the grill, quickly brush the other side of the dough with oil. Close the lid of the grill and cook the flatbread until it puffs up and the underside is quite browned and charred in spots, about 2 minutes.

Loosen the corners of the flatbread from the grill grates with some tongs. Then, carefully flip it over. Quickly spoon and spread the BBQ mushroom mixture out over the surface of the flatbread. Add extra sauce here if you like. Scatter the red onions over the top as well. Close the lid on the grill and cook until the underside of the dough browns evenly and gets charred in spots, about 2 minutes.

Cut the BBQ mushroom flatbread into manageable pieces. Drizzle the flatbread with the chive cream and top with the arugula, extra chopped chives/flowers, sunflower seeds, and chili flakes. Serve immediately.

In a medium bowl, combine the warm water, natural sugar and yeast. Lightly stir ingredients together and set aside until the top of the mixture appears foamy.

To the bowl, add the light spelt flour, sea salt, and the olive oil. Lightly stir the ingredients together until you have a sticky, unified dough.

Lightly flour a clean surface and scrape the dough out onto it. Knead the dough by hand until you have a smooth but slightly tacky-feeling ball, about 4-5 minutes. Keep flouring your working surface if you find that the dough is sticking.

Grease a medium bowl with olive oil and drop your ball of dough into it. Roll the dough around to coat in the oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Place the bowl in a warm place for 2 hours, or until the dough has at least doubled in size.

Lightly flour a working surface. Scrape the risen dough out onto the floured surface.

At this point, you can stretch/roll the dough out to your desired shape and cook your flatbread/pizza as you wish.

It’s 9am in the UK and I am already super hungry! :-) even though flat bread is not my thing, I think the chive sauce is amazing and has so many uses that I am definitely going to try it! I have noticed how is super healthy too so it might become my next go to salad sauce !ReplyCancel

Helen Ashley12/06/2019 - 7:03 am

Hi Laura
in the pizza recipe you mention whole spelt flour together with light spelt flour, but I can’t find the quantity for the whole spelt flour anywhere in the ingredient list. I suspect the recipe requires a mixture of the two…so I am hoping you can clarify as this looks like a great recipe to try.ReplyCancel

Hi Helen!
That’s a mistake. I used to make this dough with half whole spelt flour and half light spelt flour, but now I prefer just all light spelt flour (and also don’t want people to feel like they have to buy two different flours for this). I have fixed the recipe! Apologies for the confusion.
-LReplyCancel

This looks amazing!!! Quick question, what kinds of sugar are you referring to when you say natural sugar. I’ve just seen “natural sugar” being used by different people and they all mean something a bit different.ReplyCancel

Regular old cane sugar! You could also use honey if you like.
-LReplyCancel

Alec12/06/2019 - 10:40 pm

Hey Laura! Just wanted to let you know you’re 100% my favorite food blogger and ultimate inspiration — I basically make every recipe you post, we have the same food vibe, and my life is better for it. Thank you!!!ReplyCancel

Lindy13/06/2019 - 11:07 am

Hello Laura, I made this last night and it was Amazing !!!! I didn’t have chives so I used a green onion and added fresh dill to the creme sauce. Delish !!! I have your cookbook and love it !ReplyCancel

There are two options that basically follow most pizza baking methods. Hope that one of these is helpful for you.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees with your rack positioned in the upper third of the oven.

1) If you are using a pizza stone, place it on the rack when the oven is still cold and let it heat up with the oven. Roll the pizza dough out to roughly the circumference of your pizza stone. Carefully transfer the rolled out dough to a piece of parchment for easy transferring. Trim excess parchment, leaving yourself a little tab to pull the flatbread onto the stone with. Top the flatbread with the BBQ mushroom mixture and the red onions. Using the parchment tab, carefully slide the flatbread onto your heated pizza stone in the oven. Bake the flatbread until the crust is golden and the BBQ sauce has set a bit, about 10-12 minutes. Retrieve the flatbread from the oven, cut into pieces, and then drizzle with the chive cream and top with arugula

2) If you are using a baking sheet (preferably a half sheetpan size–18×13 inches), simply stretch the dough out in the baking sheet by hand. Then, top the dough with the BBQ mushroom mixture and red onions. Bake the pizza until the crust is golden and the BBQ sauce has set a bit, about 10-12 minutes. Then, cut into pieces and top with the chive cream and arugula.ReplyCancel

Laura15/06/2019 - 9:35 am

Hi Laura!

Would you be so kind as to provide the amounts needed for the dough in grams? I’m not too crazy about making any kind of bread/pastry based on cup measurements but I would love to try out your spelt dough!